Coaching, leadership

More about Coaching

What does Coaching mean?

Coaching is today used by many professionals that are engaged in people development, and is a method of directing, instructing and training a person or group of people, with the aim to achieve some goal or develop specific skills. Coaching is an increasingly popular tool for supporting personal development. The use of coaching within organisations is rising for the purpose of general personal development, as a technique for transition support, as a culture change tool and to support organisational objectives.

Coaching is generally used as a means to develop an individuals skills and knowledge so that their job performance improves, which simultanously leads to the achievement of organisational objectives. Coaching targets high performance and improvement at work, although it may also have an impact on an individual’s private life. Coaching training or a course in coaching usually lasts for a short period and focuses on specific skills and goals.

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Coaching – your chance to learn, develop, and improve

Coaching is ultimately about focus - in which people must set goals, and identify obstacles, strengths and opportunities. The primary aim of coaching is to highlight people's full potential. With this in mind, training in coaching is not an additional cost to an organisation - but an investment! Coaching, is about helping companies and individuals to develop, maintain focus and become more efficient.

There are many ways to explore coaching, and both types of coaching and methods in coaching, and direction may include motivational speaking. Training may include seminars, workshops, and supervised practice. You can learn to coach others to create a more efficient and humane workplace. Or you can get the chance to totally focus on yourself and learn more about your strengths and weaknesses, and be coached yourself.

Coaching can also be seen as a form of management, in which managers’ work together with their staff with a commitment to improving the organisation, which is embedded in a parallel commitment to improving the people.

Although coaching has become a very widespread development tool, there are issues about how best to manage and deliver it in an organisational setting. These include confusion over exactly what coaching is, how best to manage the stakeholders in coaching, when coaching is, and is not, an appropriate intervention and how to work effectively with an increasingly complex and fragmented coaching industry.

Coaching in any circumstance is driven by the organisational context. What is the business strategy? How does the company organisation position itself? What priorities does the organisation have? Who supports coaching and mentoring? These are all key issues.

Coaching to increase performance

Employees are a company's most important resource. Do you know how you can lead your employees forward - towards common goals? Do you know how to give constructive criticism? Motivated employees are able to take responsibility for their work as well as common goals, and help to improve the organisation's income. Coaching and mentoring training gives you the opportunity to contribute to both personnel and your own development. The goal is to create a workplace climate of creative work, which would enable every employee to develop.

When considering coaching, employee preferences should also be borne in mind. There is a danger that coaching can be seen as a solution for all kinds of development needs. It is important that coaching is only used when it is genuinely seen as the best way of helping an individual learn and develop.

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Personal coaching - identifying strengths

When you participate in a personal coaching or mentoring training course, you will focuse entirely on yourself and what you want to achieve. Coaching helps you to focus on your goals, to identify any obstacles, and to see opportunities to move with your individual strengths. Personal coaching is often used by managers and employees alike to find a balance in life.

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Coaching qulaifications / certificates

There are a number of reputable international organisations that offer certification in  coaching, including:

* ICF - International Coaching Federation
* ICC - International Coaching Community
* IAC - International Association of Coaches
* INLPTA - International NLP Trainers Association

The ICF is an independent organisation that certifies individuals and accredits coaching schools. ICF does not organise their own courses. To become a certified trainer you must complete the required hours of approved training, documented experience, recommendations, and have successfully completed the test.

The ICC-trainer certification requires that the ICC's training is organised through a fermentation process.  Basic training courses are offered, as well as continuing education opportunities, including Business Coaching, Executive Coaching, Team Coaching and Life Coaching training programs. The top level of education is a Masters in Coaching. Most of the trainees are certified immediately after training.

IAC's certification is based on the fact that the candidate will complete a 9-part training test (so-called "Coaching Masteries). No prior experience or training sessions are required.

INLPTA is the NLP trainers association (NLP means Neuro-linguistic programming). The organisation certifies coaches, which are related to NLP coaching. The certification requires a certain amount of training hours and successful completion of the theoretical and practical tests.